


Let time fly by and we'll see what it brings us

by hiwelcometochillies



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Episode: s07e14 The Name of the Doctor hasn't happened yet, F/M, Post-Episode: s07e05 The Angels Take Manhattan, Time Travel, aborted time line, and some (very) weird aliens, bubble universe, it doesn't really matter for th story but i wanted you to know, just so you know everyone's bisexual, paradoxes, there's a cult thing, this is my first work here idk how to tag heLP
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:41:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23415466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiwelcometochillies/pseuds/hiwelcometochillies
Summary: He pressed himself to the wall and gestured for Clara to do the same. He realized the steps had stopped too, whatever made them must've heard them too. He looked around the corner and into the hallway, still pressed to the wall, and smiled widely at what he saw. Well, who he saw, actually."Hello, honey, I'm home" he said softly. River couldn't help to smile although she didn't look as relieved as he thought she'd look if she was actually in trouble. He took it that she wasn't.Or Clara and the Doctor join River on a 'treasure hunt' and almost everything goes wrong.
Relationships: Eleventh Doctor & Clara Oswin Oswald, Eleventh Doctor&The Doctor's TARDIS, Eleventh Doctor/River Song, River Song & The Doctor's TARDIS
Comments: 7
Kudos: 30





	1. Okay, honey

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work in ao3 so please be gentle also inglish is not my first language  
> is anyone even going to read this? who knows? certainly not me
> 
> anyway the title is a translated quote by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the original goes "Deja que el tiempo pase y ya veremos lo que trae".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first work in ao3 so please be gentle also english is not my first language  
> is anyone even going to read this? who knows? certainly not me
> 
> anyway the title is a translated quote by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the original goes "Deja que el tiempo pase y ya veremos lo que trae".

Clara spinned around, brushing her fingers against the TARDIS' console occasionally, her hair moving with her. "Alright, where are we going next?" 

the Doctor gave her a fake annoyed glance while he pressed some buttons. "Where are we going next?! Do you hear yourself, woman! You just met Cleopatra and you wanna know what we're doing next."

She looked at him smiling and nodding and he couldn't help to grin. He was about to ask when she wanted to go next but a message on the monitor made him turn and spare a boyish grin. "Now this'll be fun!" he typed the coordinates and pulled a level. In a matter of seconds they heard the hum of the TARDIS and checking his reflection on a metallic piece in the console the Doctor smiled once again. 

"So where are we?" Clara asked with curiosity as they exited the TARDIS. " Oh, you are gonna love this!" was the answer the Doctor gave her before his expression went dark for a moment, "I hope you do, cause things could get weird if you don't. Oh, but what if you like her but she doesn't like you? That'll be awkward. I don't want things being awkward. I don't like awkward things. Although Marie Curie, excellent woman by the way–" 

He was cut off by Clara putting her hands over his mouth. She was quite short, (or maybe he was tall, he never knew which one it was) so she was on her tiptoes and he bent his knees so the height difference wasn't as uncomfortable, earning an eye roll from her. "You're spiraling"

He nodded. They walked in silence down a hall, the Doctor first and Clara following. He looked around the facility, tall white walls all around them where a little claustrophobic. He was starting to think this adventure wasn't going to be as exciting as he'd though at the beginning, maybe River was actually in danger. 

His thoughts immediately went there and he was glad Clara couldn't hear them because now, now, he was spiraling. He tried to concentrate on something else, anything else and that's when he heard the steps.

He pressed himself to the wall and gestured for Clara to do the same. He realized the steps had stopped too, whatever made them must've heard them too. He looked around the corner and into the hallway, still pressed to the wall, and smiled widely at what he saw. Well, who he saw, actually.

"Hello, honey, I'm home" he said softly. River couldn't help to smile although she didn't look as relieved as he thought she'd look if she was actually in trouble. He took it that she wasn't. 

What did trouble him was the fact that she seemed speechless. He'd never seen River speechless, and it was kinda scary, like pure uncertainty. It felt like waking up in the middle of the silent night with no idea why.

"What are you doing here?" she asked after a moment. No 'and what sort of time do you call this', no 'you're late', not even a 'hello sweetie'. And that right there, that actually scared him.

"You called me" he said slowly. "No, I did not" was the answer she gave him. "Yes you did, River" he replied. She glared at him and realization drawned on his face. "If you didn't then who did?" 

River turned and silenced the Doctor putting a hand over his lips, moving to rest on the same wall he was. Heavy steps approached and River held her breath as two soldiers passed without noticing them. 

She then relaxed and let go of him looking fondly into his eyes "Hello, sweetie". There it was. The Doctor smiled and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

Clara's surprised gasp was obviously audible and her mouth, open on amazement wasn't discreet either. "Clara! Hi! I never got to thank you!" River said instead.

"For what…?" she was 'good confused' before, this was just 'confused confused'. 'Who is this!?' she thought. "We've never met" she said.

"Ups" said River turning to the Doctor, scolding him. "This is what happens when we don't do diaries". He looked back at her intending to roll his eyes but stopped in his tracks taking her hands in his.

"We're past Manhattan" River squeezed his hand and held his gaze. "I think that was fairly obvious" she said softly, casting a glance at Clara.

"Sorry. What happened in Manhattan?" asked Clara raising her hand like a schoolgirl who hasn't understood the lesson.

River quickly turned at her, her mane of blond curls dancing around her. "My parents died" she answered shortly and the Doctor looked down at his own shoes like they were the most interesting of shoes, and he had once known a scientist that was working on shoes that made your feet bigger with each step –great man, enormous feet–.

River moved past them and took her blaster back out while Clara muttered a chorus of apologies. "What are we doing here?" asked the Doctor when he caught up. "I'm doing my job. And now that you're here you're joining me" 

"Okay, honey" was all he answered to her comment and loving stare. Sometimes it amazed him, how they could jump from a topic to another the second it got mildly uncomfortable. How they would avoid each other when they were what that needed the most, when they were actually just avoiding a conversation.

"Who is she?" Clara cut into his thoughts and he looked at her like he hand no idea what she was talking about. "Come on, don't give me that look! There's definitely something there. All that 'honey' and 'sweetie" and your heart eyes."

The Doctor smiled. He didn't think he was that obvious, of course, he couldn't see his own face. But he supposed it made sense, he had two hearts and they both skipped a beat anytime River was involved. "She's my wife" he said instead of screaming for how awesome River was.

"WHAT!?" Clara said and River turned smirking while the Doctor smiled indulgently. 

River always liked to see people's reactions. She'd prefer not to see them, because that would mean that the Doctor had told them about her, but if she had to she was going to enjoy it. If she was going to be a secret, she was going to be a fun one. Good thing they were good at avoiding dangerous topics, who knows how that conversation would go down...

With her hands on her gun and her eyes upfront, she gestured for the others to hurry up. They had work to do.


	2. Treasure hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The soldier, that at least looked human, glanced hardly at River’s hand that was somewhat hiding the pistol behind her thigh. He gestured with his head for her to drop it, the only defense they had (the Doctor would disagree ‘we have my sonic!’ ‘then go build a cabinet’ she’d answer).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't forgotten about this I swear!!!  
> I'm just super busy and stressed with online school work and I'm overall just terrible at time managing.
> 
> anyways hope you enjoy the new chapter and feel free to tell me if you find any spelling errors.

"Okay so what is your 'job' here?" asked the Doctor impatiently. "I'm looking for something" she said. "And what is it?" 

"A treasure" River whispered. "A treasure very, very old –well depending on what times you're counting from– very important for a group of people willing to pay for it."

"Oh, a treasure! I love treasures! Is this like a treasure hunt? I love treasure hunts!" he said like a child that was just promised a treasure hunt. 

"Have you ever gone on an actual treasure hunt, Doctor? Because I can assure you, it doesn't look much like this…" Said River, turning a moment to check Clara was still behind them.

"For your information, doctor Song, I have. You were there too. Great time we had. We'll have" the Doctor's tone getting flirtier by the moment.

"And what was the prize, sweetie?" she asked scooting closer. "Spoilers" he replied. 

"Looking forward to it, then".

"Sorry," 'oh, that's right, Clara's still here' must've been what passed by the Doctor's mind when she cut in, his face getting redder than a zigon’s "what's with the spoiler thing?"  
"You said that you have been on a treasure hunt, and then said that you will… And why do you know me if I’ve never seen you before?" Clara said gesturing between the Doctor and River.

"Well it's a… wibbly wobbly… timey wimey… thing."

River rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to him, he never explains it right. We’re both time-travelers, complicated time events, too. Our time lines are reversed. My past is his future and vice versa."

The Doctor lowered his glance and his eyes got dark as if a dense stormy cloud had settled in front of him. His hands started fidgeting, his lips pressing on a thin line that told Clara what River always tried to ignore. It told her that he knew it. That he was totally and completely and painfully aware that that was just their reality and there was no way of escaping it. He _knew_ it.

Clara took the Doctor's hand in a silent act of comfort, telling him ‘I know what it’s like’ even though she didn’t know, so she didn’t say it out loud and instead they followed the blond woman down the white hallway.

River walked ahead, slow but sure, blaster always drown ‘just in case’. She examined the path before her, ignoring the Doctor’s eyes like an arrow in her back (she could imagine it was a little lower, if she dared to dream, and she dared).

The corridor leaded to what looked like a mess hall and it wasn’t long before someone, gripping their blaster harder than Rivier herself and steadier than the Doctor ever would apruebe of, stood in front of them.

The soldier, that at least looked human, glanced hardly at River’s hand that was somewhat hiding the pistol behind her thigh. He gestured with his head for her to drop it, the only defense they had (the Doctor would disagree ‘we have my sonic!’ ‘then go build a cabinet’ she’d answer).

Weighing her options, she dropped the weapon reluctantly and pushed Clara behind her. The Doctor, smooth as he was anytime he found himself in his element, slided between River and the guard, flashing his psychic paper at him. “Maintenance” he said waiting for the other man to give him more information he could use for their cover since his wife was the queen of hiding information. “You’re here for the vault? The other stations haven’t sent notification” then again, he was the king of lies. It was the first rule. 

“Yes yes, we’ve had that happen before, some issue with the coms, you’re not the only ones with that problem. We can give it a look later as well”. The Doctor turned to River who was picking up her blaster and tugging it in her belt, leaving her hand hovering close enough that it didn’t look suspicious (‘just in case’), and Clara who smiled innocently at the guard.

“I’m the Doctor” he said, already smirking “these are my companions: Clara, and that's River. Beware of her” he said in half a playful whisper while Clara shook the other man’s hand and River rolled her eyes, only slightly amused.  
“I’m assuming ‘the vault’ is where they keep your treasure” he whispered into her ear when they moved along.

River looked up at him. He didn’t have to be here, he didn’t have an obligation. She wasn’t sure if she was obligated herself. He didn’t know what she was looking for or what it meant or why, though she sensed that he was eager for her to tell him, he didn’t even know who these people were. And he was still here, by her side. He’d got cryptic coordinates and immediately jumped out to meet her (it did sound like her style if she was honest, and she wondered if the possibility of a future self sending them was high enough to consider). 

The Doctor stared back like he was looking for a reaccion from her, a look, a gesture, a something that let him know that she was okay with him meddling with her mission. His eyes held a question and his lips became a thin line waiting for her answer. She smiled fondly, raising her hand to cup his jaw and closing her eyes, she kissed his cheek like she was kissing the sun. It’s what it felt like anyways.

He leaned in for a moment, breathing in the tenderness of her and how soft her lips were against his skin and it felt like too much since the last time he had seen her, really seen her. He found his hand lost in her mane of curls and just for a second he let it rest there before she took a step back smiling openly and then he was back into motion and she was following. And so was Clara. _God_ , he kept forgetting Clara was here. 

The soldier looked at Clara as if wondering if the scene they had just witnessed– that seemed too intense and too private to be even remotely profesional– was an everyday thing at their maintenance job. She shrugged “It’s okay. They’re married” and the Doctor heard River’s laugh as she added “It’s a family business” and there was only the slightest hint of sadness in her voice. The Doctor stared into her eyes and they both melted a little before he said in the softest voice ever “it really is”.

“So are they like… your parents?” asked then the guard in utter confusion.

“No” said Clara plainly at the same time River asked if she looked old enough to have a grown up daughter. The Doctor then affirmed that yes, Clara was in fact their beloved oldest daughter out of her seven siblings and they were teaching her the job. His playful smile was followed by a chorus of eyerolls louder than the crack of a thunder and the uncomfortable cough that left the soldier’s mouth.

“The vault is this way” he said after heavy seconds and they trailed behind

“Your daughter?!” Clara whisper yelled while River seemed to know (by experience) that it made no use to compline. “What? It could work!” shot back in the same tone “I’m one thousand-something years old, she’s almost three hundred! We could have a forty year old daughter, right?”

River was sure her sight was audible in the whole planet. Clara stared at him with a mixture of emotions that couldn’t be described as she mumbled ‘ _forty?!_ ’ under her breath. “Doctor, I’m twenty seven!”


	3. Not long

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It's not stealing if you're getting paid!" Clara heard River say, rising her voice more than she probably should if she was planning to 'not steal' from the people in the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have a sleeping schedule anymore so why should my uploading schedule be any different?

The guard led them through the mess hall. Once inside they were able to admire just how big it was. With high ceilings and walls that seemed even more white than the ones in the hallway. Metallic tables were distributed through the room and soldiers of diverse gender and race –some white, some black, some blue...– sat chatting or enjoying their meal. Some joked with one another but others seemed lost in their own minds.

“So what’s your name?” asked Clara in an attempt to make small talk with their guide. “Captain Len Jakuve, ma’am”. "You can call me Clara" she told him with a smile on her face, the kind of smile that kind people wear, the one that makes total strangers know that they're worth it.

"How long have you been working here, Len?" Seeing that the Doctor wasn't going to give her much attention today she'd have to make a friend out of this only mildly threatening space soldier.

"Not long" he answered plainly and Clara chuckled. "Not long as in a year or not long as in my first time?"

"Not long" he shot back and Clara decided to just drop the topic. As she walked –now in silence– with Len, she couldn't help but hear bits of a conversation being held just a couple steps behind her.

River and the Doctor walked pressed shoulder to shoulder, his hand awkwardly in the middle of them, itching to grab hers or put it on her lower back but he let it hang like he wasn't sure if he was allowed.

"It's not stealing if you're getting paid!" Clara heard River say, rising her voice more than she probably should if she was planning to 'not steal' from the people in the room.

No one turned around, though. The people sitting by the tables didn't seem bothered at all by their presence. Soon they were once again out of sight and Clara focused on the hallway ahead of her.

"You didn't have to come along!" she heard again behind her, and in the Doctor's mind a whisper of 'Come along, Ponds!' hurt like a dagger. "Of course I have to! You're here!" he answered.

River rolled her eyes and mumbled something that no one was probably meant to hear, and so no one did. The Doctor still looked at her like he didn't agree with whatever her 'job' here was, like he hadn't just said what he'd just said. It made River a little furious as she melted inside.

"Sweetie, just trust me on this one" she said in a faint whisper. "Always." And a smile took over her face as she rolled her eyes. Oh, how she hated it when he wouldn't even let her be mad at him.

They finally reached a door, a very big door that seemed to have nothing in in common with the rest of the place. It was immense and wooden and the kind of thing that seemed at the same time so fragile but also indestructible. Like River. Like the Doctor.

Len knocked slowly on the door, like he was casting a spell. He turned to look at Clara when the sound of a lock opening was audible, with an expression too similar to the Doctor’s when bringing along someone new in the tardis for the first time.

The door opened and they were met by dim light and an old man. 

The man greeted them with a salute and Len answered with one of his own. “Captain Len Jakuve, WS division” he said. “These people are here for the problem with the main vault” “What problem?” asked the other man who looked far too old to be standing all day long by that door. Len sigh like he was used to it and in a soft voice he explained “The one we’ve been having for three months or so. You were the first one to report it, remember?”

The man looked back at him and smiled a little. “Oh, of course! How could i forget?” he said like he still wasn't sure. “That’s the cup, isn’t it?” and his mind seemed to be struggling.

Len turned to the Doctor and Clara as River wandered off, following the old man. “Sorry about that” he said in a whisper that Clara was half sure wasn’t necessary as the man was probably deaf too. “He struggles with his memory”. “How old is he!?” said Clara before she could think twice. “I don’t know, but he’s been here longer than any of us. Maybe even since the beginning.”

The man turned and River smiled, prepared to be as charming as needed. He smiled back and the wrinkles on his skin became more evident than before. His lips were nothing else than a thin line, pressed together and only slightly upturned, framed by a big, gray beard. His eyes too dark to be called blue as they wandered around the room, marvelled by it’s beauty like the first time he saw it.

The walls here were even taller if that was possible, this time made of gray and brown stones. There weren't any lamps or candles, the room was filed only by the dim light that came in through the tall windows that seemed very far away. The place could appear empty at first sight, but under further investigation it was hard to miss the transparent boxes that sat in the pedestals alongside the walls.

As River paused next to one of them, she cracked a smile and snook a glance at the Doctor. "I guess they moved this" she said out loud cleaning with her finger some of the dust that had accumulated on the showcase and then kept walking.

When the Doctor followed River's steps he did not stop by the same box she did. He didn't feel like he should cherish what was inside it. And he sure as hell did not shed a tear at the piece of fabric that had once been his favorite bowtie.

A droplet fell next to the spot clean of dust and he thought of Darillium. What a stupid planet.


End file.
